Monsieur Jacques d'Nalgar
Monsieur Jacques d’Nalgar is a working curmudgeon with a cat-killing curiosity in politics, religion, history, and other manifestations of irrational human behavior. He resides in Hot Springs, Arkansas, a semi-autonomous region of the United States (a waning political experiment on the third planet of a minor solar system in a remote corner of the Milky Way galaxy), with his wife and other assorted wildlife. ... Jacques is a son and grandson of Baptist preachers, missionaries and educators. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon, where his father was a school headmaster for more than 30 years (and before that, a B-17 navigator in the last months of WW2). He grew up in the Middle East during the turbulent 50s, 60s, and 70s, but left just before Lebanon’s 15-year civil war nightmare began in earnest. Most reputable historians do not associate the onset of that tragic conflict with his departure. He returned for a visit in 1978, three years into the conflict. His right eye still occasionally twitches as a result. ... After colleges in Oklahoma and 16 years working for a company now forever identified with war profiteering and the dark lord Darth Cheney, he moved his family to Hot Springs in 1994. Jacques spends most of his time reading, blogging under a barely-disguised snotty “Freedom Fries” pseudonym, and staring at the sun. He works tirelessly for the OAFS (Obsessive Alliteration-Fondness Syndrome) Foundation, as both its only benefactor and sole beneficiary. ...
Jacques’ political pilgrimage has meandered across much of the regressive-to-progressive continuum. Once a staunch conservative, he found himself suddenly adrift in left field when the rest of the country lurched hard-right after 9-11. He is a frequent critic of our national love affair with wars, rampant nationalism in general, and the resurgent, xenophobic frenzy that masquerades as patriotism. ... He once defined his religious confession as Zen Baptist, a burgeoning movement (of one) within the Southern Baptist Convention, seeking to reclaim the mantle of Christian orthodoxy from fevered fundamentalists just itching for Armageddon. When evangelicals embraced the tangerine wankmaggot Trump and rejected Jesus, he abandoned the family faith and warily embraced Episcopalians' peculiar cocktail of ancient traditions and progressive inclusion. Monsieur d’Nalgar may be reached by sending him your questions telepathically, or by sending him money. He prefers the latter.
Most commented posts
- Bane of fundamentalism — 10 comments
- An obituary — 10 comments
- What we should be talking about — 9 comments
- Climate change in Arkansas — 8 comments
- Some powerfully stupid stuff — 7 comments
Author's posts
What is Happening in Palestine Danger of Zionists Acquiring Supreme Power. By Lord Syndenham of Combe, June 1 1921 Do the British people understand whither Mr. Balfour’s Palestine policy is leading us? asks Lord Sydenham in an article in the Nineteenth Century, and he goes on to give a pessimistic view of the results …
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Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2021/07/23/100-years-ago/
Larry R. Benfield Easter 7, Year B St. Luke’s, Hot Springs 16 May 2021 It might make you slightly queasy, but the next big election is only three years away. You may think I am talking about the presidential election because already we have people jockeying for position, including our own junior senator, who is …
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Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2021/05/30/the-bishop-preaches/
The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election By Molly Ball, February 4, 2021 5:40 AM EST A weird thing happened right after the Nov. 3 election: nothing. The nation was braced for chaos. Liberal groups had vowed to take to the streets, planning hundreds of protests across the country. …
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Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2021/02/20/stopping-the-steal/
Mary’s ‘Magnificat’ in the Bible is revolutionary. Some evangelicals silence her. By D. L. Mayfield, Dec. 20, 2018 at 6:00 a.m. CST When I was 15, I was cajoled into playing the role of Mary in our church’s Christmas nativity scene. I was embarrassed, stuffing a pillow under a robe to signify pregnancy, but …
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Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2020/12/27/meek-and-mild/
Written by Zoe Mulford about the 2015 murder of nine people at the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C., by a white supremacist. Listen to Meklit sing it while you weep for America… We argued where to lay the blame On one man’s hate or our nation’s shame Some sickness of the mind or soul …
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Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2020/11/01/when-my-president-sang-amazing-grace/
Richfield, Minnesota August 22, 2020 Dear friends and family, This is a one-size-fits-all message. I’m in frequent touch with many of you. If it’s been a long while for you, I’d love to catch up with you. But first, I’m reaching out because of the November 3 elections. I have no connection or role in …
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Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2020/08/23/ed-prell-from-out-of-the-ether/
Israel Is in Shock, in a Sickening Show of Hypocrisy By Gideon Levy, Published on 07.08.2020 Official Israel presented itself as shocked at the disaster that struck its neighbor, Lebanon, yesterday. Almost everyone put on a sorrowful face. Except for Richard Silverstein, who writes a blog, Tikkun Olam, no one accused Israel of causing …
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Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2020/08/08/until-the-next-dahiya/